Author Rob Samborn
1) Favorite curse word.
I do love the word fuck for its versatility, but if I had to choose one—and at the risk of being crass—it’s motherfucker, spelled in any of its glorious variations. Whether bestowing a rival with a new name or expressing extreme displeasure, there’s so much power in the word. But what I love most is the word’s dichotomy. At its literal root, it could be either a horrible or fantastic thing. As an example for the latter, my wife is a mother and, well, we’ll leave it at that…
2) Favorite coffee drink or beer.
Black coffee and a rich, full-bodied pilsner.
3) When did you start writing? What inspired you to pick up the pen?
Like many authors, I’ve had a passion for creative writing since childhood, and I’m inspired by nearly everything under the sun. I began my professional foray into it shortly after college, when I started taking screenwriting classes. My formal writing education is in screenwriting. Upon completing a screenwriting program in New York, I moved to Los Angeles, where I enrolled in the Writers Boot Camp professional program, a renowned screenwriting school.
I’ve written ten feature length scripts, five of which have been optioned. One of those screenplays was the original screenplay for my debut novel, The Prisoner of Paradise. The script was optioned to a production company founded by Dreamworks execs. Unfortunately, the movie was never made, but when the rights reverted back to me, I decided to adapt it into a novel. That led to a full trilogy and a spinoff series.
What’s a pen? Haha.
4) Tell us about your trilogy.
The Painted Souls trilogy, starting with The Prisoner of Paradise, is a dual-timeline thriller set in the present and primarily the 16th century. It follows Nick and Julia O’Connor, an American couple who travel to Venice, Italy on vacation. After a head injury, Nick comes to believe his true soulmate is not Julia, but Isabella, a woman whose soul has been imprisoned for 450 years in Tintoretto’s Paradise, the world’s largest oil painting.
Julia worries Nick suffers from mental delusions, but he’s adamant it’s all real. After a series of past-life regressions to a swordsman from 1589, Nick uncovers a secret society that has developed a mechanism for extracting people’s souls, which they imprison in the painting as a purgatory of sorts.
Nick is desperate to free his beloved from another life but freeing Isabella means freeing hundreds of other souls—all of which the secret society claims are evil.
The painting is real, completed by Renaissance master Jacopo Tintoretto in 1592. There are three versions—one in Venice, one in Madrid, and one in Paris. As the story continues, the trilogy expands beyond Italy.
The subsequent books are Painter of the Damned and Master of the Abyss. There’s also a historical fiction spin-off called The Swordsman of Venice.
5) What has been your favorite part of your literary journey so far?
Without question when I receive glowing reader reviews. Nothing makes me happier than knowing someone has enjoyed my work.
6) What words of advice would you give to up and coming writers?
Whether you’re indie or trad, know that this is a business. I’ve seen too many writers with a “build it and they will come” attitude, and then get upset when they’ve only sold a handful of books. Writing is hard. The publishing industry is harder. Always continue to grow as a writer and practice your craft. Likewise, it’s never too early nor too late to start building your brand and learn the publishing business.
